Disconnected
by Invisi
Summary: Chloe was supposed to die of cancer in 1961. Luke was supposed to have committed suicide in 2004. Melodie was supposed to be murdered in 1996. Caius was supposed to have died of a volcanic eruption in 79AD. Peppa was supposed to die of poisoning in 2018. Edmund was supposed to be hanged in 1752. Instead, they are called to arms... as the biggest and greatest TimeRiders yet!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: So, yesterday_** **_I picked up the first TimeRiders book and... well, I started brainstorming. But, instead of three in a team, this time... there are six. Please_**** enjoy!**

**CHAPTER ONE**

_**Pompeii, 79AD**_

Caius coughed, lowering his head. Falling stones and rocks wee hitting the other people on the beach, screaming for help- but not him. His mother. Juliana, had told him to stay in the house. And he would obey her, even if that meant coughing.

The fumes were stinging his eyes and choking his lungs. Realising he could not stay in the poisoned air for much longer, he raced over to the door and shoved it hard. Nothing. His mother had locked it! Coughing, he sank down to the floor, feeling dizzy and faint. And then, through the smoke, stepped a man.

He looked quite old- his hair was grey and his gave set with wrinkles. His brown eyes were dull and hard. And one other thing- _he wasn't dying._

Caius wondered how the man could breathe through the poison in the air. He choked as he opened his mouth to speak...

"Caius Oppius Sabinus," the man called through the cloud. Caius nodded, still unable to speak. "You don't have much time. Within two minutes, the gases will have all but killed you; then, about a minute later, a large rock will smash the roof in and you will be buried half-alive. You will then lie underneath the wreckage in pain for twenty seconds before you die."

"Ahc... Acka... Ack... Cas-or and Pollllllux..." Caius coughed weakly. "Nooo..."

"Do you want to live, Caius?" the man asked. Caius nodded frantically, struggling to stand, but fell back a moment later. He was too weak... the gas was too much...

"If you come with me, Caius, you will still be dead. You wont get your life back... but you'll get a new one."

"Ahck... Please, just... agh... t-take... uh... meeee," he begged. The man extended a hand.

"Take my hand, Caius," he said. Caius watched it warily.

"Ar-Are you a God?" he choked. The man shook his head, eyes glimmering in amusement.

"No... but I can save your life. Only twenty seconds left now, Caius. So, tell me... what's it going to be?"

As the smog thickened and Caius began to choke again, he reached out... and grabbed the man's hand. For a moment, nothing happened; then he felt the oddest sensation. It was as if he were falling...

_**A/N: So...? How did I do? Review and tell me! I'll be uploading another chapter straight away (since this one was short), so see you in a sec!**_

_**-Invisi**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Well, I was gonna post this, but then I had to go to bed, so... yeah. Then I couldn't get on yesterday, my parents forced me to go shopping :p**_

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**New York, 2004**_

Luke stood on the belcony, looking out over the lights of Manhatten. New York... it really was a wonderful city. Too bad... _too bad_. Too bad he'd gotten into this mess. Too bad he wanted out. Too bad there was only one way to do that.

He took off his leather jacket and left it on the chair. Now all he wore was a plain black t-shirt and some jeans; a cold breeze blew by, and he shivered. But it wasn't as if he were going to be cold for much longer. He then took the object out of his pocket. He had no clue where Rodger had managed to get it, but... it would do the job. The tiny bomb was ticking in his fingers. His hand hovered above it. If he set it... he would have two minutes before he- and his balcony- would be destroyed.

Taking a deep breath, he reached down and set it.

"Luke!" cried a voice. "Luke Foster!"

He turned to see a man walking from the building behind him. The man extended a hand. "There's no need for you to do this, Luke."

"Wha-?" Luke asked in confusion. "_Who_ are _you_?"

"I'm a friend," the man insisted. "I can... I can take you away from this mess. To a place where no-one knows you exist. You will be safe... No-one can find you there, Luke."

"Honest?" Luke asked, his voice catching in his throat. This was what he wanted... To be free.

"Honest, Luke," the man said. "Now, please... take my hand. We only have thirty seconds before we're blown to smithereens."

Luka stared at the hand. He lifted the hand not containing the tiny bomb, but made no effort to grab the pale skin.

"Please, Luke," the man said calmly. "Quickly now; we only have fifteen seconds left... ten, now... five..."

Luke could hear the countdown in his head now. _Four... three... two..._ He reached out and held the hand tightly.

_One._

A loud _bang, _a sensation like falling... then nothing.

_**A/N: Oh, I forgot the disclaimer! TimeRiders doesn't belong to me!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: TimeRiders doesn't belong to me. **_

**CHAPTER THREE**

_**Berlin, Germany, 2018**_

Peppa pressed her lips together, looking down the long table. This dinner- her birthday tea- was solemn. Everyone sat silently, picking at their chicken. All of them- her mother, father, sister, brothers, aunt, uncle and two cousins. Nobody spoke.

Silence.

As long as Peppa could remember, she had hated silence. With a passion. As far as she was concerned, a moment when nobody's lips were moving was a moment wasted. But, here... nobody spoke, and even she couldn't bring herself to break the silence.

They'd had it coming for years now, all of them. The whole world... But with the conformation of the loss of the polar icecaps, they had finally realised it.

They were doomed. They were all doomed... this place was a doomed world. And there was nothing, _nothing, _that they could do. And... Peppa hated taht. She liked doing something.

Then her mother broke the silence.

"Wine!" she called. "Bring the special wine... and let the children have some too."

Peppa was surprised as the waiter poured her glass. The Engles may have been a rich family, but they didn't like to splash out. So... why was she getting some of the most expensive wine her family owned?

At first she didn't drink it; the others downed it quickly. Her mother gave her a tight smile.

"Aren't you going to drink it, honey?" she asked. Peppa sighed, then nodded. She raised the glass to her lips and took a couple of sips. It tasted... funny. As if it had gone off. As Peppa looked up to ask her mother why, she realised something... her family were turning blue.

First their lips, then their fingers. It began to spread down their bodies, but they didn't seem to care. Then, one by one, they dropped dead at the table.

Peppa let out a cry of shock and jumped to her feet. She realised that her fingers were going blue at the tips also... and realised what this was. Mass suicide. They had spiked the wine. And everyone had agreed to it... but her.

She could sort of understand why; after all, at eleven years old, she was the youngest of the family. But still... she didn't want to die like this. And now... there was nothing to be done.

She began to feel dizzy and light-headed; with a groan, she sagged against the wall. One of the family had knocked their chair over; she could hear it falling into the grand fireplace, and setting alight. She supposed that the whole house would go up in flames... every memory of her would be destroyed.

She sobbed, tears falling in her face. The room smelt of burning wood, burning carpet, burning hair, burning flesh... She wanted to throw up. But the poison was slowly contaminating her... she was too weak to do anything but cry. The poison had killed the others quickly, in the space of a minute... but she had drank less of the wine.

"Peppa!" called a voice. "Peppa Engle!"

There was a man, kneeling before her. He held out a hand, his blue eyes welcoming.

"Are you- are you an angel?" she whispered. "Have you come to take me to heaven?"

"No," the man whispered. "I'm here to save your life... if you'll take my hand, Peppa." Peppa watched as he extended the hand.

"You can stop the poison?" she asked quietly. The man nodded.

"Take my hand, Peppa... I promise I'll save your life."

Too tired to argue, she slowly raised a shaking hand and grasped onto his. Then there was nothing; just plain blackness. And a sensation like falling...

_Liar!_ she thought. _You said you were going to save me..._

Then consciousness failed her.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: TimeRiders doesn't belong to me.**_

_**Enjoy and please**_** review!**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_**Scottish Highlands,**_** 1961**

Chloe closed her eyes. The small cottage she had grown up in was strangely hurtful... the nineteen-year-old was unsure if she could stand it. Her brother had gone down to the town, to get the doctor... and hadn't come back. But she was dying; she'd been sick for years now. It was something incurable... but she still wished for life.

Unable to stay in the place any longer, she pulled a shawl around her and left the house. Over the next hill was a lake; she staggered over there and lay on the floor, exhausted. One hand trailed in the water limply; she watched the ripples spread, smiling sadly. She and her brother, as children, had used to swim in here... it had been their place.

It was a fine place to spend her last hours.

A song her mother used to sing to her came to her head. A song her mother had written herself... it took Chloe a while to recollect all the words. When they were all there, she opened her mouth and let her weak voice sing.

_"While good lad and good lass play_

_On the rabbit-strewn hills_

_On near town's bay_

_The adults work and wash_

_Happy sounds and sights in mind_

_Water in the pond goes splish-splash-splosh_

_On this summer's day_

_But when winter comes_

_The good water freezes_

_We live off filth and crumbs_

_No matter how long summer lasts_

_Winter is always there to fall_

_All those happy shouts and laughs_

_We remember them all_

_On that winter's day_

_O, whoever can hear me_

_Pray my end shall be sweet_

_Let me see all the sights I should like to see_

_Let me be happy a while_

_Let my summer last forever_

_Then I shall greet winter with a smile_

_On that day... o so far away..." _

"Chloe McKinnon?" asked a voice; Chloe turned her head to see a man watching her. "Chloe McKinnon... do you wish to live?"

"I should say so," Chloe said with a snort.

"Then take my hand," the man offered, extending it to her.

"How does taking your hand save my-"

"Just take it, and I'll explain later."

Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've got to be crazy to be trusting someone I don't even know... O Lord, here I go!"

She falt his hand close around hers; then the sensation of falling... and then nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Doesn't belong to me- TimeRiders, that is.**_

**CHAPTER FIVE **

_**London, 1752**_

Edmund stood by the gallows. He couldn't believe it... hung. For stealing a horse. Was it really a crime? He supposed it was, but still... it was failure, and Edmund hated admitting failure.

"Edmund," hissed a voice; he turned to see a man. "The guards aren't looking; step out of your bindings and follow me."

With glee, Edmund realised that this man was right. He was led down an alleyway and round the corner, and turned to the man, grinning.

"Thank you, good sir- how may I ever..." He trailed off as the man grabbed his wrists.

"Edmund Samuels, if you want to live then you have to come with me. If not, I'm taking you back to those guards. In fact, they're just around the corner; if you don't want to come, I can leave you here..."

"No!" Edmund cried. "No, no! You can't leave me- I'll come, I'll come!"

He felt the oddest sensation; sort of like falling...


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Disclaimer: doesn't. belong. to. me._**

**CHAPTER SIX**

_**Brazil, 1996**_

Melodie was running- and _they_ were chasing. Chasing her down a network of alleyways, from the place where she was safe to a place she'd never set eyes on before... how long had she been running?

Then she stopped short; before her was a wall. And behind her... _Oh, God, no! _she thought. _It's a dead end! I'm trapped!_

She spun around to face the seven grinning gang members; two of them held knives and one a gun. They were laughing as she backed into a corner; great, now she really was trapped.

"There's no way out," one of them snickered, repeating her thoughts. It was the leader, the one with the gun... she gulped, feeling sick.

"N-No!" she stuttered. "Please! Leave me alone! What have I ever done to you?"

"Nothing," the leader said again. "We just want to make ourselves known... one day, we will rule this city..." He laughed. "You will be the first of many..." He pointed the gun at her head.

"Please, no!" she whimpered; too late. His finger tightened on the trigger, and Melodie fell backwards, sagging against the wall. She whimpered in pain, bringing her hand up to the wound; hissing in pain, she let it drop. Her hand was caked in blood; it made her sick to look at.

"She's still alive- you gonna give 'er another shot?" one of the other gang members asked.

"Nah, just leave her here... no-one will find her, she'll be dead before the hour's up."

They left, leaving Melodie alone and dying. _Alone and dying... _it was a scary thought.

"Melodie?" asked a soft voice, and a man appeared, bending down to her height.

"How'd you know my name?" Melodie croaked.

"It'll come later... do you want to survive?"

"Yes!" she whimpered.

"You wont get your life back, though," the man said quietly. "But I promise, no-one can hurt you again."

"You swear?" Melodie asked.

"I swear," the man said. "Now, if you'll take my hand..."

Melodie did so, and felt an odd sensation like falling. _So this is what dying feels like, _she thought, before everything vanished.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: D- doesn't belong to meeeeee**_

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**_London, 2012_**

Caius sat up with a groan. He was in some sort of room... an odd light was hanging from a white ceiling. Around him were six beds- three suspended in the air, three below them. Wrinkling his nose at the oddness of it all, he climbed out of bed and wandered around, peering at the occupants of the bed.

In the bed above him was a dark-skinned girl with long dark hair caked with blood. She also had a hole in her head... what had made it, Caius didn't like to think.

In the next bed he found a fair girl, her skin partially dyed blue. It was strange, to say the least. Above her was a sandy-haired boy. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him, not like the two girls he had peered at so far.

In the next bed was a boy with untidy black hair. He wore odd clothes... now that Caius thought about it, they all wore odd clothes. Above him was a girl with ginger hair, looking as weak and frail as a scroll.

_Where in Castor's name am I? _he wondered as he returned to sit on his own bed. And, as he did, the blue-skinned girl began to stir... and sat up.

He saw her scrunch her face in confusion, and look around the room... and then she noticed him. And stared. And then she birst out laughing.

"What are you wearing?!" she gasped. Caius frowned; he wasn't sure he liked her, at all really.

"Oh, be quiet!" he snapped. "I don't suppose you know where we-"

"Are?" she finished, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head. "_Nein_, I've no clue. Who're in the other beds?"

"A girl with a hole in her head, a boy with blonde hair, a boy with black hair and a girl with ginger hair," Caius told her, checking them off on his fingers. The girl nodded, standing up and swaying on her feet.

"Oh, I'm all a-flutter!" she gasped, holding onto the structure of the bed.

Caius didn't answer, for at that moment, there was a loud yell from one of the other beds. The ravenette boy sat up, banged his head on the bunk above him, and then rolled onto the floor. He stood up, pulling a kitchen knife out of his pocket and aiming it at Caius, then at the girl, and back again.

He spoke a weird language, one that Caius had never heard before. The blue-skinned girl said something to him in the same language, and they seemed to come to an understanding.

"Uh, excuse me?" he asked the girl. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to know who we were. His name is Luke. Oh, and my name is Peppa, by the way. What's yours?"

"Caius," he responded absently, still glaring distrustfully at the dark-haired man, who said something else in that strange language. The girl turned and replied to him again.

More of the people woke up, and all of them spoke that strange language. He sat there, not understanding anything they said as they spoke in low voices. Then one of them- the girl with ginger hair- spoke straight at him with those strange words they all used. Peppa said something to her, then turned to Caius.

"Caius, these are Edmund," she gestured to the sandy-haired boy, "Chloe," she pointed to the ginger-haired girl, "And Melodie," she pointed to the girl with the hole in her head. Then she turned back to the others and said something to them. Caius though he heard his name, and the word 'latin'.

A loud voice echoed over the room, again in that strange language. In the minmum light Caius saw a figure stood above them. He recognised the person as the man who had come to get him. He had twisted grey-brown hair and a beard, matted and going grey. His eyes were grey and bloodshot. His face was sunken with age, wrinkled and shadowed.

One of the others demanded something, the boy Edmund, and the man said something else soothingly. The boy glowered at him and then sat back down. The man turned to Caius.

"_Salve, _Caius," he greeted. "My name is Johnson. Now, if you put these on your ears-" he extended a hand that held two strange objects- "You shall be able to understand what I and the others are saying." Caius gave the things a distrustful look. "Please," the man added, "It would make this a lot easier." Caius nodded, took them and fitted them onto his ears.

_"Now," _the man said, again speaking in that strange language. This time, however, Caius could understand. _Huh, I suppose these things must work, _he thought.

_"I should explain to you why you are here, and about our agency. 'The Agency'- better known as 'TimeRiders'- is a small, elite group of people with two goals only. One- to prevent time-travel destroying the universe. Two- to make sure this agency remains secret."_

_"Wait, did you say time-travel?" _Edmund asked in confusion.

_"That's right. Due to the work of two masterminds- Edward Chan and Roald Waldstein- Time Travel has become possible. Of course, this doesn't happen for a long time yet, and the details can wait. A while ago, there was only one team working to correct history, and I figured there should be another team on the job. So I rounded up six more recruits- bringing our numbers up to ten. You have all been specially-selected for a reason; Waldstein and I did not make this decision lightly. You all have skills that suit you to your jobs, your roles. That will all be explained later. For now I will tun the lights on, and show you your field office."_

Johnson made his way over to a white strip on the wall. Caius heard a clicking noise, and the place around them began to light up. He and the others stared around, muffling gasps.

The place was a mess.

**A/N: Hehe, I particularly like writing this chapter! And I decided to make Peppa bi-lingual- she speaks German, Latin and English. Anyway, please, please, please review!**


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